KR20180129260A - SERIAL TO LoRa CONVERTER - Google Patents

Abstract

A serial-to-LAN converter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a serial communication module which is connected to at least one sensor for detecting sensing data by wire through the serial communication and receiving the sensing data from the at least one sensor through wire communication using the serial communication; a LoRa (Long Range) communication module which is connected wirelessly with a server for providing a service using the sensing data and transmits the sensing data to the server through low power long distance wireless communication using the LoRa network; and an NFC module which recognizes the mobile terminal and performs short range wireless communication with the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is within a predetermined distance. It is possible to reduce cable installation cost and maintenance cost.

Description

{SERIAL TO LoRa CONVERTER}

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a serial-to-LAN communication conversion apparatus capable of providing a plurality of sensors and a server via a wireless network through a serial-to-LAN communication conversion to provide an Internet (IoT) service.

The most important factors for efficiently monitoring, diagnosing and managing energy in buildings, factories, warehouses, public buildings and water treatment plants are environmental factors, including temperature, humidity, power and carbon dioxide (CO2).

As a result, through the establishment of systems such as factory energy automation (FEMS), building energy automation (BEMS), building automatic control (BAS) and energy management system (EMS) for business buildings, buildings and factories, There is a need to optimize and manage energy management efficiently.

It is required to develop technologies to provide optimized solutions to factories and buildings by combining IoT technology with environmental monitoring of temperature, humidity, power, and CO2 for optimal management of energy according to this necessity. Technological factors to meet are bi-directional communication technology between IoT device (sensor) and control device, security technology, low power consumption technology and wireless network communication technology of network.

On the other hand, Internet of Things (IOT) is a computing system that connects various devices based on wireless Internet, acquires environmental information through sensors, and integrates various technologies to control based on the information.

In such an IoT environment, an application can provide useful information and convenience to users by using various devices or devices connected to the network. IoT devices provide simple information and provide services by collaboration of multiple devices It is also said.

Here, the IoT device designating the object may be composed of various embedded systems such as household appliances, mobile equipment, and computers, and each object may have a function of identifying an identification factor, a communication function, .

A related prior art is Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1659361 entitled " IoT-based remote automatic control system using data correction, registered date: 2016.09.19 ".

In an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of sensors and a server may be connected to each other through a wireless network to provide an Internet (IoT) service through a serial-to-low-rate communication conversion, It provides a serial-to-low-to-medium-size conversion device that can reduce cable installation cost and maintenance cost.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problem (s), and another problem (s) not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The serial-to-LAN communication conversion apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to at least one sensor that senses sensed data through a serial communication and is connected to the at least one sensor through wired communication using the serial communication. A serial communication module for receiving sensing data; A LoRa communication module wirelessly connected to a server providing a service using the sensing data and a LoRa (Long Range) network and transmitting the sensing data to the server through low power long distance wireless communication using the LoRa network; And an NFC module for recognizing the mobile terminal and performing short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is within a predetermined distance.

The serial-to-LA communication conversion apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention transmits the service authentication number received from the mobile communication company for opening the LoRa network from the mobile terminal through the short-range wireless communication function of the NFC module And a LoRa network module for allowing the LoRa communication module to transmit the sensing data to the server using the opened LoRa network by opening the LoRa network using the service authentication number.

The serial-to-LA communication conversion apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention receives the firmware update file received from the mobile communication company from the mobile terminal through the short-range wireless communication function of the NFC module, And a firmware update module for updating the installed firmware using the firmware update module.

Wherein the mobile terminal comprises an application having an update function of the firmware and receives an authentication key for accessing a communication network provided by the mobile communication company by executing the application from the mobile communication company, And can access the communication network and receive the firmware update file from the mobile communication company.

The serial-to-LAN communication conversion apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a switch module for selecting any one of a plurality of serial communication types employed in the serial communication module.

The switch module includes a DIP switch or a rotary selector and selects one of a plurality of serial communication types employed in the serial communication module based on a switching operation according to a user's operation .

Wherein the switch module receives switching information according to an execution of an application provided in the mobile terminal from the mobile terminal through a short range wireless communication function of the NFC module when the mobile terminal approaches the NFC module within a set distance, And select one of a plurality of serial communication types employed in the serial communication module based on the switching information.

The serial-to-Lola communication converter according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a power input module to which a power supply line for supplying external power is connected, and the at least one sensor is connected to the power input module, The external power source supplied through the power supply line may be used to charge a battery provided therein.

The details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of sensors and a server may be connected to each other through a wireless network through a serial-to-LAN communication conversion to provide an Internet service (IoT) It is unnecessary to save the cable installation cost and the maintenance cost.

1 is a service conceptual diagram of a serial-to-Laura communication conversion apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the serial-to-Laura communication conversion apparatus of FIG.
3 is a diagram showing an operation state of the LoRa network in the embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating an operation state of firmware update according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are views showing an alternative embodiment of the serial-to-Laura communication converter of FIG.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and / or features of the present invention, and how to accomplish them, will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is capable of many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, To fully disclose the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. The configuration is omitted as much as possible, and a functional configuration that should be additionally provided for the present invention is mainly described. Those skilled in the art will readily understand the functions of components that have been used in the prior art among the functional configurations that are not shown in the following description, The relationship between the elements and the components added for the present invention will also be clearly understood.

In the following description, terms such as "transmission", "communication", "transmission", "reception", and the like of a signal or information means that a signal or information is directly transmitted from one component to another As well as being transmitted via other components. In particular, "transmitting" or "transmitting" a signal or information to an element is indicative of the final destination of the signal or information and not a direct destination. This is the same for "reception" of a signal or information.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a service conceptual diagram of a serial-to-Laura communication conversion apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a serial-to-LAN communication converter 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to a serial communication type such as an RS232 port or an RS485 port with a sensor 110, The sensing data can be received through communication.

Here, the sensor 110 may be connected to only one RS232 port or RS485 port as shown in the figure, but a plurality of sensors may be connected. 5, one or more sensors 110 may be connected to the NC (Normal Close) / NO (Normally Open) contact, and the sensor 110 may be connected to the RS- An RS-422 device (sensor) is connected to the port 422, an analog device 110 is connected to the analog output port, and the analog sensor 110 may be connected to the NC / NO point. In addition, the sensor 110 may include various kinds of sensors according to industry. 5 and 6 are views showing a modified embodiment of the serial-to-LA communication conversion apparatus 100 of FIG.

For example, the sensor 110 may be a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a vibration sensor, a noise sensor, a contact / touch sensor, a pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor, a geomachine, a gyroscope, an IR operation / And may include a body temperature sensor, a blood pressure meter, an electrocardiogram meter, a heart rate sensor, an electroencephalogram sensor, a diabetes sensor, a fingerprint sensor, and an iris recognition sensor in a medical and health field.

The sensor 110 may include an air pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a sunshine sensor, an infrared sensor, an ultraviolet sensor, a dust / dust sensor, an ozone sensor, Gas sensors such as carbon dioxide sensor, fine dust / yellow dust sensor, gas / smoke / fire sensor, camera, infrared sensor, acoustic sensor, vibration sensor, motion sensor and pressure sensor in the field of home and building .

The serial-to-Laura communication conversion apparatus 100 may transmit the sensing data received from the sensor 110 to the cloud server 130.

In this case, the serial-Laura communication conversion apparatus 100 may include a LoRa communication module (refer to 220 in FIG. 2) for low-power long distance wireless communication with the cloud server 130, To the LoRa repeater 120 and transmits the sensing data received from the sensor 110 to the cloud server 130 through the LoRa network.

The cloud server 130 may receive and store sensing data sensed by the sensor 110 through the serial-to-LA communication conversion apparatus 100. The cloud server 130 may transmit the sensing data to a system such as a home energy management system (HEMS), a building energy management system (BEMS), a cluster / community energy management system (CEMS), a factory energy management system (FEMS) have.

The system such as the HEMS, BEMS, CEMS, FEMS, etc. collects the sensing data necessary for energy management and can perform monitoring for energy management using the collected sensing data. Meanwhile, a system such as the HEMS, BEMS, CEMS, FEMS, etc. may be separately constructed from the cloud server 130 or may be constructed including the cloud server 130. [

In the present embodiment, the serial-to-Lola communication conversion apparatus 100 is connected to the sensor 110 and the serial-to- The function as a wireless gateway (G / W) between the cloud servers 130 eliminates the need for a cable, thereby reducing cable installation cost, maintenance cost, and the like.

Hereinafter, the internal configuration of the serial-to-LAN communication conversion apparatus 100 will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the serial-to-Laura communication conversion apparatus 100 of FIG.

1 and 2, the serial-Laura communication conversion apparatus 100 includes a serial communication module 210, a LoRa communication module 220, an NFC module 230, a LoRa network opening module 240, a firmware update A module 250, a switch module 260, a power input module 270, and a control unit 280.

The serial communication module 210 may be connected to at least one sensor 110 that senses sensing data through a serial communication.

At this time, the serial communication module 210 can be connected to the at least one sensor 110 through a specific serial type port (RS232 Port or RS485 Port) according to a switching operation according to a manual operation of the user.

Alternatively, the serial communication module 210 may be connected to the sensor 110 through a specific serial type port (RS232 Port or RS485 Port) according to switching information according to execution of an application installed in the mobile terminal.

The serial communication module 210 may receive the sensing data from the at least one sensor 110 through wired communication using the serial communication.

That is, the at least one sensor 110 senses sensing data necessary for energy management such as temperature and humidity, and the serial communication module 210 periodically communicates with the at least one sensor 110 using the serial communication So that the sensing data can be received from the at least one sensor 110.

The LoRa communication module 220 may be wirelessly connected to a server providing the service using the sensing data, that is, the LoRa (Long Range) network with the cloud server 130. Accordingly, the LoRa communication module 220 can function as a medium for wirelessly connecting the at least one sensor 110 to the cloud server 130.

The LoRa communication module 220 wirelessly connects the at least one sensor 110 to the cloud server 130 to connect the cloud server 130 and the at least one sensor 110 with a cable The installation cost and the maintenance cost that can be incurred can be reduced.

In addition, the LoRa communication module 220 can transmit the sensing data to the cloud server 130 through the low power long distance wireless communication using the LoRa network. Accordingly, the LoRa communication module 220 can extend the service life of the battery by minimizing power consumption, and can support a coverage of up to 20 km to transmit a small amount of data to a long distance.

The NFC module 230 recognizes the mobile terminal and performs near field wireless communication with the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is within a set distance. If the mobile terminal is recognized, the NFC module 230 can obtain the identification information (phone number, product number, etc.) of the mobile terminal.

3, the LoRa network opening module 240 transmits a service authentication number received from the mobile communication company 320 for opening the LoRa network to the NFC module 230 And can be received from the mobile terminal 310 through a short-range wireless communication function.

Alternatively, although not shown in the figure, a device manager directly inputs the service authentication number through an input device (key button, touch screen, etc.) provided in the serial-Laura communication conversion apparatus 100, and the LoRa network opening module 240 can open the LoRa network using the entered service authentication number.

The LoRa network opening module 240 transmits the service authentication number to the service provider 340 through the LoRa repeater 330 to request the LoRa network to be opened and to respond to the response signal from the service provider 340 The LoRa network can be opened.

That is, the LoRa network opening module 240 can open the LoRa network when the service provider 340 receives a response signal from the service provider 340 indicating that the service provider 340 accepts the service authentication number . Accordingly, the LoRa communication module 240 can transmit the sensing data to the cloud server 130 using the opened LoRa network.

Meanwhile, when the service provider 340 permits the approval of the service authentication number, the service authentication number can be registered. At this time, the identification information of the mobile terminal 310 acquired through the NFC module 230 Telephone number, product number, etc.) can be registered together.

When registering the service authentication number together with the identification information of the mobile terminal 310, the LoRa network opening module 240 can add and receive the identification information of the mobile terminal 310 to the response signal, Accordingly, it is possible to determine whether the LoRa network is opened by validating the identification information of the mobile terminal 310 when the LoRa network is opened.

3, the service provider 340 may be implemented by the same carrier as the mobile communication company 320, or may be implemented by another carrier that provides a communication service separately from the mobile communication company 320 .

4, the firmware update module 250 transmits a firmware update file received from the mobile communication company 320 to the mobile terminal 310 through the short-range wireless communication function of the NFC module 230 And may be delivered from the mobile terminal 310.

Here, the mobile terminal 310 may include an application having an update function of the firmware. The mobile terminal 310 can receive the authentication key for accessing the communication network provided by the mobile communication company 320 from the mobile communication company 320 by executing the application according to a user's operation. The mobile terminal 310 may access the communication network established with the mobile communication company 320 using the authentication key to receive the firmware update file from the mobile communication company 320.

As another example, although not shown in the drawing, a device manager may transmit a communication cable (USB cable, etc.) to the mobile terminal 310 or the like through an input device (USB port, etc.) provided in the serial- PC and so on. Accordingly, the firmware update module 250 may receive the firmware update file from the mobile terminal 310 or the PC.

The firmware update module 250 can update the firmware installed in the memory 290 of the serial-to-LA communication conversion apparatus 100 using the firmware update file.

The switch module 260 may select any one of a plurality of serial communication types employed in the serial communication module 210. Here, the serial communication module 210 may employ a serial communication type such as RS232, RS423, and RS485.

The switch module 260 may include a dip switch (DIP switch) or a rotary selector. The switch module 260 may select one of a plurality of serial communication types employed in the serial communication module 210 based on a switching operation according to a user's operation.

To this end, the dip switch or the rotary selector may be provided with a switching terminal for selecting one of RS232, RS423, and RS485 through manual operation of the user. For example, when the RS232 type is selected through the dip switch or the rotary selector, the serial communication module 210 can perform serial communication with the corresponding sensor 110 through the RS232 port.

In another embodiment, when the mobile terminal approaches the NFC module 230 within a predetermined distance, the switch module 260 transmits switching information according to execution of an application provided in the mobile terminal to the NFC module 230, May be received from the mobile terminal through a short range wireless communication function of the mobile terminal.

The switch module 260 may select one of a plurality of serial communication types employed in the serial communication module 210 based on the switching information.

For example, when the user executes the application in the mobile terminal to select the RS 485 type and then moves the mobile terminal to the serial-Laura communication conversion apparatus 100 within a set distance, the mobile terminal transmits the NFC module 230 The switching information related to the RS485 type can be transmitted to the serial-to-LAN communication conversion apparatus 100 through the short-range wireless communication function of the serial- Accordingly, the switch module 260 can apply the RS485 type to the serial communication module 210 based on the switching information regarding the RS485 type.

The power input module 270 may serve as a power supply interface to which a power supply line for supplying external power is connected. Here, the power supply line may be implemented as a line that supplies purely power, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be implemented by a line for supplying data together. For example, the power supply line may be implemented with a USB cable.

When the power supply line such as the USB cable is connected to the power input module 270, the at least one sensor 110 charges the battery provided therein using external power supplied through the power supply line .

The control unit 280 controls the serial-to-LA communication conversion apparatus 100, that is, the serial communication module 210, the LoRa communication module 220, the NFC module 230, the LoRa network opening module 240, The operation of the firmware update module 250, the switch module 260, the power input module 270, and the like can be generally controlled.

The apparatus described above may be implemented as a hardware component, a software component, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. For example, the apparatus and components described in the embodiments may be implemented within a computer system, such as, for example, a processor, controller, arithmetic logic unit (ALU), digital signal processor, microcomputer, field programmable array (FPA) A programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to execution of the software. For ease of understanding, the processing apparatus may be described as being used singly, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the processing apparatus may have a plurality of processing elements and / As shown in FIG. For example, the processing apparatus may comprise a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations are also possible, such as a parallel processor.

The software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing, and may be configured to configure the processing device to operate as desired or to process it collectively or collectively Device can be commanded. The software and / or data may be in the form of any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage media, or device , Or may be permanently or temporarily embodied in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over a networked computer system and stored or executed in a distributed manner. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer readable recording media.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. For example, it is to be understood that the techniques described may be performed in a different order than the described methods, and / or that components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, Lt; / RTI > or equivalents, even if it is replaced or replaced.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.

100: Serial-Laura communication converter
110: sensor
120: LoRa repeater
130: Cloud server
210: Serial communication module
220: LoRa communication module
230: NFC module
240: LoRa network opening module
250: Firmware Update Module
260: Switch module
270: Power input module
280:

Claims (8)

A serial communication module connected to the at least one sensor for sensing sensing data through a serial communication and receiving the sensing data from the at least one sensor through wired communication using the serial communication;
A LoRa communication module wirelessly connected to a server providing a service using the sensing data and a LoRa (Long Range) network and transmitting the sensing data to the server through low power long distance wireless communication using the LoRa network; And
An NFC module that recognizes the mobile terminal and performs near field wireless communication with the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal approaches within a set distance,
And a serial-to-serial converter.
The method according to claim 1,
The mobile terminal receives the service authentication number received from the mobile communication company for opening the LoRa network from the mobile terminal through the local wireless communication function of the NFC module and opens the LoRa network using the service authentication number A LoRa network module for allowing the LoRa communication module to transmit the sensing data to the server using the opened LoRa network,
Further comprising: a serial-to-serial converter for converting serial-to-parallel conversion into serial-to-parallel conversion.
The method according to claim 1,
A firmware update module that receives the firmware update file received from the mobile communication terminal from the mobile terminal through the local wireless communication function of the NFC module and updates the firmware installed using the firmware update file,
Further comprising: a serial-to-serial converter for converting serial-to-parallel conversion into serial-to-parallel conversion.
The method of claim 3,
The mobile terminal
And an application having an update function of the firmware, wherein the application is executed to receive an authentication key for accessing a communication network provided by the mobile communication company from the mobile communication company, and to access the communication network using the authentication key And receives the firmware update file from the mobile communication company.
The method according to claim 1,
A switch module for selecting any one of a plurality of serial communication types employed in the serial communication module
Further comprising: a serial-to-serial converter for converting serial-to-parallel conversion into serial-to-parallel conversion.
6. The method of claim 5,
The switch module
A DIP switch or a rotary selector and selects one of a plurality of serial communication types employed in the serial communication module based on a switching operation according to a user's operation Serial-to-Laura communication converter.
6. The method of claim 5,
The switch module
When the mobile terminal approaches the NFC module within a predetermined distance, receives switching information according to the execution of an application provided in the mobile terminal from the mobile terminal through a local wireless communication function of the NFC module, And selects the corresponding one of the plurality of serial communication types employed in the serial communication module based on the selected serial communication type.
The method according to claim 1,
A power input module to which a power supply line for supplying external power is connected
Further comprising:
The at least one sensor
Wherein when the power supply line is connected to the power input module, the internal battery is charged using the external power supplied through the power supply line.

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